A death in the family
by gibbsrossi
Summary: This is my first Lie To Me fan fic... enjoy


Cal Lightman was a broken man, all the life had seeped out of him over the last few hours. Sitting beside the bed, his hand firmly gripping the limp cold hand of his daughter. He had been sitting there for the last ten minutes unable to leave his little girl alone in the cold hospital room. The doctors had thought better of trying to make him move so after they had done their sad duty of stopping the machines from bringing life giving oxygen to the young girl, effectively ending her life they had quietly left, telling him that he should take all the time he needed to say goodbye. He had given them permission to do it although his heart had screamed at him not to kill his daughter, his head told him that this is what Emily would have wanted, she was brain dead there was no hope of recovery, her life had ended the moment the truck had struck their car four hours ago killing her mother instantly and leaving her to linger on until he finally released her.

Gillian received the call from Ben Reynolds thirty minutes after the accident. Ben had been notified by the local police that Emily Lightman had been involved in a fatal crash that had killer her mother and that she had been taken to Washington Memorial Hospital in critical condition. He told her that Cal had been notified and was on his way to the hospital.

"Oh no…Cal" Gillian whispered to herself as she put the phone down and started gathering her stuff together before she headed off to the hospital. "Please God, please let Emily be OK."

Gillian arrived at the hospital twenty minutes after the Emily Lightmans' life support had been switched off. Cal still sat at his daughters' bedside his head resting on her hand that he held up to his face. He was saying something to her over and over again. The doctors had told her that they had not been able to coax him away and could not get him to let go of her hand. Gillian approached Cal quietly; she could now hear him sobbing softly to himself as he kept repeating the word sorry to his dead daughter. She had never seem him like this before, he looked so lost and helpless, so vulnerable.

"Cal…" She said softly as she put her hands on his shoulders squeezing them softly. "Cal…come, come with me." She pleaded pulling gently on his shoulders.

"No...NO...NO, NO, NO" Call said at first softly then more vehemently, "No I can't leave her…I can't leave her alone!" He sobbed into his daughters' hand.

"Cal…oh Cal, she's gone…she's gone Cal." Gillian said repeating it so that he could understand. She had to make him understand even though it broke her heart.

"Cal, Cal look at me." Cal looked up at her his face a quilt of emotions, his eyes red and swollen from fallen tears. "Cal, Emily is dead. She is gone Cal." Gillian took his head between her hands, running her thumb down his cheek then leaning in and kissing him gently on the forehead. "She is gone Cal." She repeated.

"I…I know." Cal sighed heavily, "I know that, I...I…killed her…I told them it was alright to KILL her." Cal said his voice starting off softly then rising in anger, not at Gillian not at the doctors but at himself.

"No Cal, the truck killed her, the accident killed her…you…you gave her peace." Gillian said desperately trying to keep her emotions in check. Cal needed her now, he needed her strength and he would need a lot more of it in the future, she could mourn later but now she had to be strong for him, for her Cal.

"Cal, we need to go now, they need to take care of her, the doctors need to take care of Emily." Gillian said, again making contact with him by taking hold of his free hand. "Please Cal." She said softly.

Cal nodded staring at his daughter as he did. He knew she was gone, he knew he had to leave her; she looked so peaceful as if she was sleeping but he knew better. He stood unsteadily next to her and then bent down and kissed her on her forehead. "I am so sorry Em, so sorry I could not save you!"

He lingered there, head resting on hers. Gillian moved closer and took him by the shoulders pulling him away from her body.

"Come on Cal, it's time to go." She said as she led him out of the hospital room.

It had been a week since the tragic accident that took Emily and Zoe's lives. Gillian had spent the week with Cal who had gone into a deep depression not speaking to anybody, not eating and drinking copious amount s of whiskey. She had not tried to stop him but did try to get him to eat and made sure he made it to bed safely every night. The day of the funeral was the first time she had seen him sober in a long time. He dressed in a somber black suite. He said not a word to her as they drove to the chapel where the service was to be held. The entire Lightman Groups personnel had turned out, along with Emily's friends from school and many DOD employees who had worked with Zoe. The service was moving and some of the congregation spoke giving testimony to the friendship between themselves and the deceased. The service ended and the line formed for the mourners to say their last goodbyes. Cal led the procession past the caskets, pausing briefly at each of them, lingering a little longer at the second one; this was his final farewell to his child, his beautiful daughter.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered one last time then strode from the chapel before anybody could stop him.

Cal walked directly to his car climbing in the driver seat he started the car he started the engine. Gillian ran out of the church following Cal into the parking area. She saw him get in the car and she tensed up her heart aching at the sight of the man behind the wheel of the vehicle in front of her. 'Cal…' She called out desperate to stop him from driving off on his own.

"Goodbye luv…" He said gently through the open window before stepping on the accelerator sending the car speeding off out of the church yard.

That was the last time Gillian saw Cal Lightman, he never returned to the Lightman Group or to his house. A few days later she received the papers which made her sole owner of the company.

As Cal drove away he knew he would never return; he could not, not to a place which held so much heartache for him. He had to leave, leave the memories, and leave that life. He saw Gillian come running towards him, he heard her call his name a tone of desperation in her voice and he felt a tinge of regret at leaving her, but he could not stay. Cal Lightman ceased to exist that day never to return.


End file.
